Contractual Obligation
by Squall's Ire
Summary: Harry Potter has come to St Louis as an anonymous man who just wants to live his life quietly...wait...oh yes, this is HARRY POTTER after all. Not so anonymous and not so quiet but maybe for once in his life that wouldn't be such a bad thing. (This story will eventually be SLASH later in the story so you have fair warning.)
1. Chapter 1

This is a work of fanfiction that uses characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling and from the Anita Blake world created by L. K. Hamilton. All characters belong to their respective authors as stated above and I claim no ownership over them or the 'world' that is stated in the authors books. The story and situation I am creating is my imagination and I do not ascribe them to either authors official story cannon. This work is only intented for entertainment outside of official story line and I am not profiting financially in any way from the creation and publication of this story. I am so gratefull to both L. K. Hamilton and J. K. Rowling, whose stories have inspired and inflamed the imagination of so may people including myself. For without their work, mine would not exsist. I highly recommend buying their books!

Harry leant against the kitchen counter and counted to ten. The vampire sitting at the table gave him a blank look and simply waited with an ease that made it obvious that he had nothing to fear from Harry. It was infuriating. He'd never really managed occumency and even he could admit his temper could get out of control. But how could people expect him to keep calm when he'd only been in Saint Louis three days and they already wanted him to leave.

"Can you at least tell me why?" So much for America being a fresh start. Four years after Voldemort's defeat and he still had problems like this. The Order and their allies still praised him as The-Golden-Saviour. But they treated him with a reverence he didn't deserve, and that was something he couldn't accept, even from them. After Ron and Hermione had been married there was nowhere else for him to belong. They had asked him to stay with them; but he couldn't be a third-wheel in their marriage even for a day.

"All preternatural being's who wish to reside in his territory must first seek out an audience with the Master of the City. To not do so is a direct challenge to his authority and power."

_What?_ Harry couldn't help but blink in stunned silence. _They didn't want him to leave because of who he was?_ He felt hope fill his chest with a warm glow. Or better yet, perhaps it was as Hermione had suggested, and America was too far away to feel the full effects of Voldemort's reign of terror.

"So, if I get permission from this Master, no one can tell me to leave?"

"As long as the Master rules this territory and he permits you to stay, no preternatural force has the authority to ask you to leave. The humans, however, are another matter all together. You must obey preternatural and human laws while you are here. Unless the Master wishes something from you exclusively, those are usually the basis of the agreement."

"So who is this Master of the City? And why does he think I'm a preternatural being?" And how much does he really know about me? Harry thought as he ran his eyes over the vampire and tried to memorize everything about him. He was tempted to reach out with his magic but didn't want to give himself away in what could end in a fight. The vampire reclining on his wooden dining chair was dressed in a smart charcoal suit with a white shirt and grey silk tie. His hair was tight black curls cut close to his head set against pale skin and brown eyes. He almost looked Latino if he hadn't been over six foot five tall. Maybe that was why he'd chosen to sit down; to keep from intimidating him. Even though he was 21 now and the war had been officially over for 3 years he was only 5ft 7 and still gangly with knobbly knees he hides by wearing jeans.

"Mr Black, my Master sensed your presence within his city and wished to meet with you. Tonight. I have been asked to escort you to his business so that the two of you can become acquainted." The bland smile didn't quite hide the implied threat he felt from the words, although he'd be hard put to pinpoint exactly why he felt threatened. There was a part of himself that wanted to rail at this vampire. To demand who this Master thought he was dealing with and to hurt him for taking Harry's freedom for even a few hours.

But the words that came out of his mouth were "Alright." It seemed the more impulsive part of himself had spoken before he could think of a way to avoid the whole issue. Damn. Now there was no choice but to meet this vampire. Not that there had been much of one to start with. He would head to his Haven and preform several dampening spells on his person. The only danger would be the minute he cast any spell the illusion would be shattered. And he had a feeling that if he had to use a spell tonight then things would be heading in a very bad direction. Health wise.

_Keep moving forward, no matter the consequence. _

"Give me 15 minutes to get ready and I'll come with you." He almost expected the vampire to deny him or to follow him until he was ready to leave. So it was with some surprise that he smoothly stood to his full height; gave Harry a formal bow and announced he would wait outside with the car. Before Harry could blink the vampire was simply gone from the kitchen. No bang of apparition. Just gone.

Sweat broke out under the collar of his polo shirt. Knowing that vampires were faster than humans were one thing but to see them vanish in front of you was quite another thing. There was no spell he knew of that could make him as fast as them nor any way for he to see them move without a spell to slow them down. That was too obvious. And if the more powerful a vampire dictated their speed it wouldn't help him much. he'd have slow motion vampires and fast forward ones running around a room. The visual was almost enough to make him smile if he wasn't dreading tonight. Besides such a spell wouldn't hold for long. Hmm. If he couldn't match their speed maybe he could make himself untouchable? Was there such a shield to stop violent attacks that was passive and undetectable until activated? How long could it withstand an attack and what if he was unconscious? He did not want to be bitten or bonded to a vampire. He would have to stick with the dampening spells and be very careful until he either found or invented the spell himself. If he was going to live here then he refused to be vulnerable.

Satisfied with his plan he hurried to have a shower and get changed in the 10 minutes left. He would need to dress fancy. He hated dressing fancy.


	2. Chapter 2

A.N. This chapter is longer than the last and starts the introduction to the main characters. The Circus described here is how I've alway imagined it. Please keep in mind they are entering from the carpark and Harry hasn't had the delight of seeing the fanged clown sign yet (haha). Enjoy!

This is a work of fanfiction that uses characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling and from the Anita Blake world created by L. K. Hamilton. All characters belong to their respective authors as stated above and I claim no ownership over them or the 'world' that is stated in the authors books. The story and situation I am creating is my imagination and I do not ascribe them to either authors official story cannon. This work is only intented for entertainment outside of official story line and I am not profiting financially in any way from the creation and publication of this story. I am so gratefull to both L. K. Hamilton and J. K. Rowling, whose stories have inspired and inflamed the imagination of so may people including myself. For without their work, mine would not exsist. I highly recommend buying their books!

CHAPTER TWO

Sliding onto the expensive white leather seats of the waiting limousine made him extremely grateful he had dressed the part carefully. A tailored black suit with an embriordered green vest bordered in gold threads. It was beautiful but not the most comfortable thing he owned. The only other time he had worn it was to Hermione and Ron's wedding to the great delight to Mr Weasley.

The vampire quietly shut the door behind him and Harry looked up only to realize that the partition between him and the front was tinted and he couldn't see the driver. Uneasiness crept into his mind and he couldn't stop the flinch as the other door open and he watched as the vampire slid in and knock on the glass to ignal the driver. The quiet hum of the engine and it pulled away from the curb.

"Where are we going?" Stupid. He should had asked that before he got in the car. A few dampening spells was not much protection and he was intensely aware that the threat sitting not four feet away from him could crush his throat before he even saw him move.

"To the Circus of the Damned to meet with the Master." Both body language and tone was bored and indulgent as the vampire reclined against the leather and fixed his gaze on Harry.

Well if that's the case then maybe he would finally get a name. After all he couldn't keep thinking _vampire _when he looked at him.

"May I have your name? You do know mine after all." Know his name yes but hopefully not _who_ he is or his history. There was little chance that any vampires here knew a witch that had chosen the break the Act and had gone unpunished by the American Ministery. He found very little comfort in this fact and tried to reassure himself once again that nothing would happen because his facade is a _mild mannered man with little magic _and nothing interesting at all about him.

"My name is Arnao." Nothing else was added and no last name. Did vampires have last names or did just they forget them as they got older? It probably wasn't polite to ask though and he didn't really want to know. He felt a need to fill the silence between them by inane talk or questions. He wasn't usually a nervous talker, but voluntarily walking into the proverbial lions den was almost insane. A little chat would help him feel a little steadier even if it was with a vampire - er - Arnao. But they had nothing to talk about and most definately nothing in common. _Best just to stick with common courtesy then._

"Thank you. Umm. For telling me your name." Great. Now he could definately see amusment on that marble face. "Oh, nevermind." he muttered before looking out the window. Instead of the view of passing streets he expected he instead saw his reflection on the darkened window. The windows were tinted as well. Why would someone pay so much for a car and be unable to see outside on a drive?

Or maybe it's so you don't see where he's really taking you. Great. Now the thought had entered his head he couldn't seem to get rid of it. He took calm even breaths and tried to clear his mind just like Snape had taught him so long ago. If he could stop thinking that terrible things were going to happen maybe he wouldn't bugger up tonight and he could be left alone. Right. A meeting for an hour wasn't so hard. He'd done worse things like the Last Battle, Ministery balls and even a divorse. _Especially_ when that divorse was with Ginny. Actually maybe that was worse than the ministery balls. Although that was with her too. Ugh. No. Bad thoughts again. Calm. He needed to be calm and collected.

"Mr Potter?" His eyes flew open and flickered to where Arnao was sitting. Only he wasn't there anymore. Tension crawled across his shoulders and the tense muscles in his neck made the movement jerky as he turned his head to the door beside him where Arnao was holding the door open for him. There was no amusement on his face now, only those copper eyes had any heat to them and he turned his head away before he could read what was in them. He had a feeling he wouldn't like what he found.

He said nothing and just stepped from the car and followed him through the most strange and colorful place he had ever seen. Large striped tents of all colors laid out in rows with men and women in costumes handing iut flyers and exchanging money for tickets to see the shows inside. Arnao had begun walking a little fast now they had left the carpark and were walking through the crowd. He had to pay a little less attention to the crowd and the interesting sights and more to not getting left behind. By the time the last line of tents was passing they were almost at a full run and only stopped when they reached a steel door set in the side of the large building.

Arnao had his head down and was leaning one hand on the door but wasn't moving. Harry had a feeling he wasn't breathing either.

"I wasn't going to get distracted, you know!" Maybe a little but he was miffed that the vampire thought he had to run through to keep him from stopping and looking around.

The vampire slowly straightened and his hand on the door swung down. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to have said. The tension from before hadn't left his body entirely and he could feel something inside him say he was in danger now. He felt two hands grasp his upper arms and he was suddenly slammed against the door. It must have been reinforced since it didn't even shudder at his weight. He expected to feel fangs tear his throat but nothing happened. The arms holding him were still and when he looked up he could see why.

A sharp hunger had turned those eyes almost red and twisted his face into an almost animalistic expression. But there was also fear there. Probably because of the petite lady in leather holding a gun to his head.

"You're on a short rope Arnao and it's getting shorter every night. We have a special guest and you're threatening him." Her voice was light and a little husky a perfect matching to her apearance. Dark curls barely held back by the pins restraining them back from her face and cascading down to her waist was the first thing to catch his gaze. Her skin was pale and offset by the crimson of her leather corset and lips. But those eyes. Large and dark with enough anger behind them to make him hesitant of moving and drawing their attention. They reminded him of Snape's eyes.

"Let. Him. Go." Those words were cold and willing to inflict pain to get obediancce. Snape would have been impressed by her, he knew. Or maybe just seen her as a threat. Her aura was certainly impressive and nothing he could imitate. It made her seem more than what her appearance suggested and he knew that it would be a bad idea to forget that.

Arnao looked like he had just realized the same thing and slowly let go of him and took a step away from him and the lady in red. When he did Harry realized there was a quiet blond man with her but he was drawn back to the lady when she began speaking.

"You have already been warned now you have no more chances. Return to your post and if you misbehave again you get to see me and next time you won't like me so much."

It didn't look like he liked her now. That fear was leaving his face and now Harry could see the anger that had been there. Was that what had been keeping him on edge when with this vampire? Was it normal for vampires to be like that? The only vampires he had heard of was the mass slaughter one called Dracular had made in England. Apparently he had gone crazy, but what if that insanity was because they were undead?

And he was meeting with the Master of the whole city in a few minutes.

He couldn't stop the groan that escaped him and drew the attention of the lady and her was gone and Harry told himself to stop being careless. No wonder he was attacked. Probably too easy of a target to resist.

"Is that the normal reaction to being saved?" The blond man had spoken and now Harry had the chance to see him properly. He was the same height as the lady which still made him three feet shorter than him. His eyes were light blue and with his short blond hair and playful expression he looked almost.. sweet. Leather chaps with a glittering blue thong and fishnet shirt topped with leather gloves and a floppy hat with blue feathers was eye catching certaintly but seemed a little out of place.

"He seems a little shell shocked but maybe you've just overpowered him." When he turned to her she smiled and held her hand out to shake. "My name is Anita Blake and the flashy one beside me is Jason Schuyler. We're attending the meeting too so you can go with us. Good thing for you we were late."

Her hand was warm and her grip firm. Somehow it was comforting even with the gun now strapped to her hip and knives on her forearms. Her gaze was less severe than when talking to the vampire but no less steady and focused.

"Nice to meet you my name is Harry Potter. Thank you for helping me and I'd be glad for your escort. Somehow I thought all the excitment would happen indoors and he caught me off-guard."

This was a surprise to the lady but the man - Jason - threw his head back and laughed.

"Not as shell shocked as he appeared after all. He kinda reminds me of you Anita."

Jason laughed again, this time at her somewhat sour look. She walked past him and knocked sharply on the door and he could hear bolts being thrown back and then it swung open to reveal a non-desript man in black holding the door open for them . Anita swept by with a nod to him and gestured impatiently for him to follow when he didn't move.

Jason nudged him and whispered, "The only person worse than keeping the Master waiting is her."

"I heard that Jason!"

Jason's face was a perfect blend of impishness and innocence. The twins would love this one. Best not to tell them about him or the city could be in serious trouble. Just imagining the kind of mischief that would ensue with this one to encourage them made him wince and step through the door and walk to where she was waiting with impatience.

"Just because you were lucky we were late doesn't mean he's going to be happy. If I have to sit through one of his speeches about proper eqiuette I'm going to shoot someone."

Jason chuckled. "You were the reason we're late though. I told you not to help Nate get ready for his show tonight. You know where that leads though I guess you did prep him for the stage."

It sounded innocent enough but his tone was both lecherous and cheerful and Harry felt amazingly relaxed because of it. Maybe it was the resemblence to the twins. He always felt like he fitted in perfectly with them too, sometimes even more so than with Ron.

His third step down made him gasp as he misgudged the height of the step and jarred his ankle.

"Yeah, be careful about the steps, they're not very even."

Jason's voice came from behind him and he even sounded solitious.

The steps in question were all of different widths and heights spiralling along a wall until a corner cut his view downwards. He only noticed now that it was all dark stone walls and stairs with a line or lights set in the wall illuminating the way down but were dim enough that their light didn't penetrate the darkness overhead and only just touched the stairs themselves. That was probably why he didn't notice the odd construct of them.

"So I see." he couldn't keep the incredulity out of his voice.

He'd never seen anyone purposely sabotage visitors by creating a trick stairway. He began following Anita again but this time paying careful attention to where he tread so it was a bit of a surprise when about five minutes later when they reached a landing and Anita turned to him.

"Another flight down and we'll be directly under the Circus and you can meet Jean-Claude there."

He stepped onto the landing and moved aside so Jason would have room too. Anita was standing under one of the lights installed into the wall and it shone off her black hair. She was really quite pretty up close and with no gun in her hand. She looked impatient again and he realized that she was waiting for a response from him.

"Umm, ok?" he didn't know what she wanted him to say. A vampire turns up at his house and pretty much orders him to the Circus then attacks him only to be ordered off by Anita who leads down a set of dark stairs and expects him to - what? What else was there to say?

She apparently isn't satisfied by the answer and opens her mouth to say something to him when she's cut off by Jason walking by them.

"Jean-Claude is getting pretty grumpy. We're all late now." He throws them a grin and begins walking down again without them. Not wanting to stay there with Anita he hurried to follow Jason down and consequesntly almost tripped over his own feet when he saw Jason's outfit from the back.

"I can see your arse in those pants!" Was that his voice? Oh god he sounded like a ninny. He knew Jason was only wearing chaps and underwear but from the front you could only see a thin line of flesh at his hips and thighs. The back was another view entirely. The back of the chaps only came to the back mid thigh and showed alot of leg and his entire bottom. The blue underwear he'd tried not to look at before was obviously a g-string and with the see-through shirt he could see almost everything.

Jason cocked his hip and put one hand dangerously close to his own bottom and threw a grin over his shoulder and those sky-blue eyes looked flirty.

"Baby you ain't seen nothing yet. You should come to my show sometime."

That choked sound behind him may have been stifiled laughter but Harry didn't want to turn around to find out. Before he could try to find something to say in response, something Anita said a few minutes ago finally caught up with him.

"Wait, you two are coming to this meeting too?" Please say no. This is supposed to be a normal meeting right? Something everyone does, an agreement to follow the rules and such not whatever this was turning out to be. He's never seen so much weapons, leather and skin as these two had going on.

"Of course we are. Anits is his Servant and I live here so we were both suppose to be there already." Jason started down the stairs and Harry followed this time reluctantly.

"What kind of kinky meeting is this going to be? I thought it would be simple. Easy. Just a hello, I'm here to live nice to meet you and leave kind of thing."

That choking sound again. At least Anita was pretending not to laugh at him. Jason had no such reluctance and his laughter echoed off the walls and made Harry groan.

What had he gotten himself into now?


	3. Chapter 3

A.N Thank you for everyone who have been reading my stories so far and a special thanks to those who have reviewed. I really appreciate your opinion and encouragement as it boosts my self-confidence and abilities as a new writer :) I can't help that feel that I was too hasty with getting the last chapter out and decided to slow the pace a little and describe the environment and people more. Please let me know if you feel this is too slow so I can find a good balance between action and inaction. Thank you again and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

This is a work of fanfiction that uses characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling and from the Anita Blake world created by L. K. Hamilton. All characters belong to their respective authors as stated above and I claim no ownership over them or the 'world' that is stated in the authors books. The story and situation I am creating is my imagination and I do not ascribe them to either authors official story cannon. This work is only intended for entertainment outside of official story line and I am not profiting financially in any way from the creation and publication of this story. I am so grateful to both L. K. Hamilton and J. K. Rowling, whose stories have inspired and inflamed the imagination of so may people including myself. For without their work, mine would not exist. I highly recommend buying their books!

Chapter Three

Even though Anita had said they were almost there, it was by his estimates nearly a 10 minutes walk. Well a careful, ten minutes walk for him. Jason and Anita seemed to have the knack for traveling down the oddly spaced stairs down pat. Whereas his bumbling attempts to walk smoothly down the stairs kept warring with his growing embarrassment by trying not to look at the pale flesh exposed to him and causing him to stumble. Anita had given up the pretense and had chuckled at his clumsy attempts several times. And it was all the more embarrassing by the echos her amusement that caused Jason to sway more provocatively and therefore causing the chain reaction.

It wasn't the strange stumbling procession that was the three of them slowly going down the dark winding stairs of the Circus that gave him the most discomfort. No, it was the feeling of heavy stone above his head and the strange currents of magic he could sense coming from below. Strangely enough, the farther they traveled down the feeling seemed to descend at the same speed so meeting it would be impossible. Everytime he felt that he pinpointed the feeling it seemed to evade his 'touch' and appear a little out of his focus. It was as if as he detected the feeling it could also detect him. Was it something alive or an echo of what had once been?

It was the thought that maybe the vampires were the least of the dangers deep under the Circus that stopped him still. His foot still resting just above the next step before he slowly stepped both feet down the the next step and looked at his feet. His feet were not large for his size but were surely bigger than both of his escorts. However, even standing in the middle of this 'step' his feet did not touch the edge.

Looking back he studied the steps the wound upwards and traced the shape of the stairs and noticed something he had missed coming down the steps. Perhaps he would never had noticed until he was coming back up to the surface. He could see the stairs and the corner about sixty feet upwards where the stone platform was coming from the wall where they had stopped several minutes before.

The stairs itself were uneven slabs, but each step were at least three feet across where you would step and varying sizes of heights. All had a dip in the middle as if thousands of people had walked these stairs over the centuries. High on the wall was the artificial lights that he could clearly see had been installed onto the stone wall with the wires running between each light. But just below the lights at about six or seven feet there were gouges on the wall that the shadows cast from the uneven surface of the stone had concealed. Looking upwards there was nothing but blackness but with how steep the steps were, it had to be at least fifteen or twenty feet between steps and roof.

If he was a creature of about twelve feet high he could squeeze up these stairs by using the extra space width of the steps and by holding onto the walls. The large platforms at every turn would help in maneuvering the bulk of the large body around the corner and allow for ambushes of enemies that are unable to squeeze past but allowed just enough room to swing talons. Perhaps the Circus belongs to the vampires now, but what had been here first?

"Care to share what's bothering you?" Anita was studying him as he had been the steps. Her dark eyes were narrow and assessing. Arms folded across her stomach and wide-planted feet may be taken as an expression of stubbornness if the tight leather pants show the blades on her thighs and the gun on her hip to perfection. Somehow he didn't doubt that she use them on him at the slightest sign of aggression and her stance both balanced her and put the majority of her weapons in her reach. Well. The weapons he could see anyway. Somehow it felt different looking at her outfit than Jason's, all shyness aside. Jason's outfit, although racy, was more of a show than anything. The way Anita wore hers felt like more of a battle suit than a show of her body. The black leather boots and pants with the black and red silk corset reminded him of a spider that shows its colors to indicate its danger. A kind of warning that said 'I am able to kill you so stay away'.

He carefully gazed at her face and felt like he was being cornered by too many dangers. The underground 'things', the vampires that were waiting and the woman he had allowed to walk behind him.

"I'm just wondering what could have made these steps. I think any human would have made them smaller and vampires have never struck me as architects." Well, in for a penny in for a pound. He hadn't run into to much trouble so far so might as well continue on as he has. It may even get him some answers. He could not sense the strangeness from underneath him anymore. Perhaps it was vampire magic? He had never met a vampire before. But to evade his grasp like that..

"It's been mentioned before but the vampires moved in when it was already vacant so we'll probably never know. The warehouse was built before they discovered the chambers underneath it. The vampires merely removed the floor and the stones blocking the entrance."

She didn't seem very perturbed by this but perhaps she was use to the idea of entering an underground cavern that had been blocked. Maybe to keep something inside?

"Come on people, we can chat after we get to the office. Can't you tell he's getting restless?" Jason's voice was several steps below us and the last comment didn't seem to be directed at me. When I glanced back he had a serious look on his face and was gazing at Anita behind me.

"You know I block all I can. Besides he left me waiting an hour last night so it's his turn to wait for us now." Even to her it must have sounded curlish because she blushed and glared at him.

"Come on, let's keep moving. We're almost there now."

She had said that before but he didn't want to start a fight with her so he turned and started after Jason again. This time, without a stumble as he was still trying to detect anything from below. This time from the vampires waiting. If they could both tell the Master was waiting then he must have missed something earlier. But he could detect nothing at all this time. Just a cold darkness of the stone and emptiness of what must have been many rooms and turns in the caverns. Some were in uniform rows while others were oddly distributed and varying sizes. The different between rooms and natural caverns he supposed.

Sure enough they were at the bottom of the stairs that opened into a large cavern with three branching corridors of similar shape. The lighting from the stairs ran out along the walls on either side of him and into the two farthest before additional wires arched over the entrances and into the middle corridor. It was down this that Jason led them and past large wooden doors placed unevenly on either side of the walls.

He knocked on a door that looked the same as every other they had passed and after a moment turned and asked Anita to go it first. She huffed but walked around him and opened the door and entered. After a few moments Jason turned as gestured for him to go in ahead of him.

Taking a deep breath he straightened his posture and entered before he could have a sudden attack of nerves. The first thing that he noticed was the blaze of color that stopped him in the doorway. It was a shock to leave the bare stone hallway to enter a room that would be the pride of any professionally decorated home.

Thick white carpet blended into the silver drapes covering the stone walls and acted as a backdrop to the furniture. Each piece looked like an antique and was Victorian in style if not the real thing. Along the left wall was a large bookcase filled with leather-covered books of all color and sizes. Directly to his right and opposite the bookcase was a large couch with red brocade backing with several pure white cushions with gold tassels arranged artfully. Next to the couch was two high-back chairs done in the same style with a small glass-top table separating them. All the furniture was mahogany with intricate carvings running along all the visible wood. Interspersed throughout the room were large and small potted plants that must have been fake, as they were too green to be alive in such a room devoid of natural light.

Directly in front of him was a large fire-place that dominated the end of the room and over which was hung a large painting of a Victorian garden, where ladies and men where walking and conversing in their elaborate clothes and powdered wigs. Movement drew his gaze to the far left corner of the room, next to the end of the bookcase where two people became the focus of his attention.

Sitting together on a gold and white silver chaise lounge was Anita and one of the most beautiful men he'd ever seen. His hair was similar in length and color to Anita's hair but was full of gentle waves and not Anita's riotous curls. Two sapphire eyes were outlined with amazing long, dark lashes and his face was pale and beautifully proportioned with high cheekbones and an angular jaw line. His looks were almost effeminate in its loveliness but something about the lines of his face was masculine and could not be mistaken as anything else but male. While Anita's clothes looked out of place in this room, Jean-Claude's clothes were almost a perfect match for the men in the painting. Save, of course, for the pure Victorian make-up and powdered wig and heavy brocade coat. His pants were tight, dark, and tucked into knee-high buckled boots. The shirt was a brilliant blue and ruffled at the wrists and collar which was left open to expose his pale skin.

A gentle nudge to his shoulder from behind made him jump in surprise. He'd forgotten that Jason was waiting behind him. A few quick steps into the room and he paused; not quite sure what the etiquette was to meeting vampires. Vampires in England may have been made legal citizens in the muggle world after the war ended but in the wizarding world it was seen as foolishness. You do not let predators that can control your mind become citizens. They were not welcome in wizard society any more than they were a thousand years ago.

As before he was left floundering and decided common courtesy was the best approach. Taking another deep breath he smiled at the unknown man and introduced himself.

"My name is Harry Potter, it's nice to meet you sir." It would seem silly to hold him hand out to a man more than five feet away from him, so he kept them tucked behind his back and continued to smile.

The vampire slithered, there was no other word for the action, off his seat and walked to within a foot of him. He walked even more smoothly than Arnao had and would bet that this vampire was even faster than his would-been attacker had been. But he smiled without revealing his fangs and held out a pale hand to he shook as briefly as manners dictated. That pale hand had been surprisingly warm with the feel of delicate bones that was a lie to his strength.

"I am the Master of St Louis, but please, call me Jean-Claude." That slight smile was still to his lips and even though his mouth had been moving; he hadn't caught more than a quick glimpse of white teeth. Too fast to tell what his fangs looked like. He had an odd urge to ask to see them but wasn't feeling that brave at the moment. Jean-Claude was a few inches taller than himself and looking up into that face from so close was a little uncomfortable.

Jean-Claude must have sensed his uneasiness because he gestured to the two chairs behind Harry and invited him to sit so they may have a _tête-à-tête_. It wasn't hard to tell that he was french even before using his language as his accent had that tell-tale lilt to it, though he spoke seemingly fluent english.

Harry chose the seat farthest into the room as Jason was lounging across the couch near the exit. Even as friendly as Jason was, he was sure that putting himself in a situation where he was literally surrounded by people he did not know would be a mistake.

"Monsieur Potter, thank you for coming so quickly at my summons. I was told by Arnao that you were unaware of the rules governing a vampires territory." Jean-Claude settle himself into the remaining chair and turned towards Harry and crossed his legs.

"Umm, why exactly do I need to get your permission to be here?" Maybe getting to the root of the problem immediately was rude but he wanted to leave this building and go home. He'd been in the middle of renovating his two story house when Arnao had knocked on the front door.

Jean-Claude studied him silently for a few minutes and he had to tell himself not to squirm under the gaze of two intense sets of eyes and one curious. He didn't look in Anita's direction. It was all he could do to hold Jean-Claude's gaze without blinking. He wasn't sure as to what his expression was revealing but whatever it was Jean-Claude seemed satisfied and continued as if he hadn't said anything.

"We have had several unfortunate incidents lately from 'visitors' to the city in the last few years. This has-" he paused and seemed to think for a moment. "-encouraged us to change the rules somewhat. Those who are powerful must first be screened before being accepted within the preternatural community here. Otherwise when you use magic you would have people show up on your door 'armed to the teeth' as _ma petite_ likes to quote." A quick glance at Anita showed her expression as emotionless as Jean-Claude's but there was a slight glint in those dark eyes that reminded him of Hermione's eyes when lecturing Ron. But what he said just struck Harry as odd.

"How do you know I have magic?" His dampening spell had been in place since he left the American Ministry in St. Augustine, Florida and caught a plane to St Louis. _How, then, could they have detected me before I even entered the city? Did something interfere with his work and force the spells to wear off quicker than normal?_

"Let us just say that we knew when you came to our fair city, oui?" That smile was still in place but those stunning eyes had a cunning edge to them. It reminded him of Lucius Malfoy when he was speaking to the Minister of Magic. Flawlessly polite but the eyes were snakelike and he began to feel that unless he was very careful he may end up doing things he does not wish to do.

"What do you want?" _Wrong thing to say_. Those eyes were triumphant now.

Anita spoke for the first time since entering the room. "Why can't we sense your magic now? You almost feel like a null." Her eyes were no less calculating than the Master vampire but he felt more in danger of Anita than he could explain was just a feeling, an aura of danger.

"What's a null?" So, vampires could sense magic and so could this woman. Who was she and what kind of magic did she have? He knew there was no way she was a witch otherwise she would have recognized his name. Unless she was playing along for the sake of the Privacy Act. Was that what her silent stares had been about?

"Someone who has no magic at all. Arnao called Jean-Claude before the drive here. He said he could sense your magic in your house but not when you left. Why not?"

He almost said, 'You mean a Muggle' before he stopped himself. It wouldn't be a smart idea to expose himself in any way. Now was the time when to tread very carefully. Anything he said here would be remembered and without knowing what they could or could not sense from him it was wise to keep things vague and simple.

"Umm. Well. I guess it's because I'm shielding my magic from you. I don't like to walk around without covering it. It's a habit."

"How interesting Monsieur Potter. Tell me, how do you do such a thing?" His eyes were quite beautiful but it was unnerving how intensely he was staring. Maybe it was a french thing? Arnao hadn't stared at him like that. It was almost as if he were waiting for some response; like Anita had on the stairway. He felt out of his depth and he found himself just staring into Jean-Claude's eyes, trying to find some clue as what to say. "How powerful are you Mr Potter and why hide your powers so thoroughly?"

Harry blinked. "I told you already. It's just a habit I have. Kinda makes me self-conscious and I end up feeling things I don't want to feel." _Hah. I'm not even lying about it. _Although he still felt magic when he had the dampening spells on him, it wasn't near so bad as without them. But it was a two-way knife. The spells cut him off from sensing most magic just as they could detect only a tiny part of his magic. But so far the pros far outweighed the cons.

"It's a spell that covers the magic I have within me. I was taught by a mentor I had back in England when I was younger." Hopefully they would not ask him again how powerful he is and what magic he is able to do. How to explain that after absorbing the rest of Voldemort's powers he was the most powerful wizard in Europe. No one knew that he blocked that part of himself that holds Voldemort's powers. After that night he never really looked closely at himself. Just cover it up and keep going. And without using it he was just as powerful as others like McGonagal, Remus, Snape and Moody.

Unless it was the only thing standing between him and death, he would never use all his magic. Not knowing how powerful he is would mean absolute destruction. Too much magic in a spell would likely cause an explosion or the backlash or the spell could effect the wizard. The more powerful the wizard the worse the possible consequences.

And as long as he continued to use his magic every day for as much as he could he would not be affected by dampening his magic. Every witch and wizard **must **use their magic. That's why accidental magic happened. And the more powerful you were then the more your magic would act on its own until it could begin to be used consciously. At the moment, the renovation and spellwork on his house was taking the brunt of his effort but perhaps that's where he went wrong. Maybe they sensed him working in the house. He had put spells around the house when he arrived so he couldn't be detected but by casting them he had probably revealed himself to them. It would also explain how they knew where he lived and that he had more magic than he was showing them.

"Monsieur Potter, are you well?" Jean-Claude was leaning over the table between their chairs which put their faces closer together. He had to stop zoning out like that, it was dangerous. He leaned away slightly and Jean-Claude mimicked him and settled back as well.

"Umm, yes, I'm still rather tired from moving in and I'm doing some renovating at the moment as well. Uh. Did you ask me a question when I wasn't listening?" He _was _starting to feel tired. Getting up early every day since his arrival and casting protection, detection and creating wizard space within the house left him feeling pleasantly drained each day. And he had gotten up early this morning to complete the second floor and had only finished the hour before being called here.

"I asked if we may see you without this shield of yours? To help us determine if you are suitable for St Louis, of course. You _do _wish to stay here don't you?"

"Are you saying I can't stay without your approval?" This was the crux of the matter. He didn't want to leave after all the work he had done to the house. Unless he made it undetectable he'd have to strip the house of magic before he left the city. That meant just as much work as putting the spells on the house.

"Non, you can stay without my permission but it would be difficult for you to have any contacts here if you are not trusted by those in power here. Do you comprehend Monsieur Potter?"

Oh yes, he understood. If he refused than they would be suspicious of him and that would cause a chain reaction in the city. Things would be made difficult for him. Things that would not be traced back to the vampire before him. On the other hand he could take off the extra layers of spells he put on before leaving the house and let them assume that was how powerful he is.

"Please call me Harry." All this monsieur business was making him feel a bit of a heel.

"Harry." The way he said it was almost a low purr and it made his face as red as when he saw Jason walking in front of him down those stairs. It almost made him want to take it back and make him start addressing him as monsieur again. But to do that would be childish and would seem as if he was uncomfortable being called his first name though he had just given permission for it to be used.

"Ok, I'll take the spell off so you can sense my magic." He looked at Jean-Claude to gauge his reaction but his face showed nothing but Anita's face was surprised until she smoothed it when she caught his gaze.

So they didn't think he would agree so easily or at all? Maybe that wanted an excuse to distrust him so that they can spy on him. Constant vigilance, indeed.

He took down two of the five dampening spells on him silent and wandlessly and the reaction was immediate. Anita was on her feet and Jean-Claude's eyes turned solid sparkling blue, with the whites completely gone. Suddenly he didn't feel near as sure of himself as he should.

He couldn't help but stare at the vampire. His skin was as white as snow and made his features even more alluring. He could now feel a cold hand touching him. It was the vampires powers and was a little unnerving. He could also feel that coldness like a thread out behind him to where Anita was still and off through the walls. Hundreds and hundred of them. It was like the Master was a spider and all those here were caught in a web of his power.

Struck with a sudden fear he cast the spells again and watched with wide eyes as the vampire returned to the state he was in a few minutes ago. Lovely but not otherworldly. Anita was standing with her feet apart and her gun in her hand, though thankfully, not pointed in his direction. Instead she had it pointed at the ground but her face was tight with suspicion and weariness. As if she was alarmed but tired of being in such a state. That didn't bode well for him. She may just decide to shoot him and be done with it. It was time to be perfectly clear.

"I want you to know I chose St Louis because of it's dense population of magic. I can use magic here without people automatically panicking. It's not like that in England. For the most part it is not accepted by.. nulls. I just want to be myself. I just want to be Harry. I can promise you now that I don't intend on causing any trouble, though it does follow me around like the plague. And I don't intend on hurting anyone or breaking any laws. What else can I say to convince you of my good intentions?"

Anita's face was back to that perfect blankness and Jean-Claude was watching him like he was interesting. That was not what he wanted but considering how their 'meeting' was going it could have been far worse. Anita was still holding her gun but her body had relaxed.

"I believe you Harry but I would still like to know more about you. Perhaps when you settle in I can take you to dinner?" His face and expression were bland but Harry felt his face heating up all the same. He remembered that intense look from before.

"Umm. I'm flattered, I really am. But I don't think I want to go on a date with you all the same. Sorry." Egh. Why hadn't he gotten any better with these kind of conversations. He had been chased almost incessantly since he graduated Hogwarts. Even after his marriage the offers hadn't stopped.

Jean-Claude's head tilted back and he began to laugh. Not the quiet chuckles Anita had done earlier but full laughter as if he couldn't really help himself. Anita's face was too blank to be believed and when he looked behind him at the silent Jason he saw him curled on his side with a cushion pressed to his face and his body was shaking.

"Ah, it has been a while since I have laughed like that. You are most amusing monsieur."

"So glad I can amuse you." Even to his own ears his voice sounded grumpy. "What did you mean then?"

"Merely what I said. I can introduce you to others that can help you if you need it. Myself and Anita are connect to almost everyone in this city. We can becomes friends. Harry."

_I guess he wasn't flirting with me, then._

"That sounds good. How about next week sometime?" Thank Merlin his blush was receding. It wasn't as if he particularly wanted to become friends with vampires or know everyone in the city. But it sure beat not knowing what was going on or learning the hard way. And he had a feeling that the learning curve would be steep. Besides, they're said to be many shapeshifters in St Louis. What would he do when he had to meet one of them? Would they be like Remus? What about the humans when the moon was full. Did they all lock themselves up to prevent themselves from killing innocent people?

"Very well. Jason can escort you out and I'll get someone to drive you home. You look quite exhausted. You should not over tire yourself, Harry."

A wave of relief almost overpowered Harry. That was it, he had done it. He'd survived without being discovered and making them suspicious of him. All he had to do what get home and then he could rest. he'd have a whole week before he had to see any of them again. It was hard being so cautious but that was the price to be paid for living away from wizarding society.

"Ok, thanks. Umm. I mean , it was a pleasure meeting you Jean-Claude. And you too Anita."

Jean-Claude shook his hand again and he was relieved not to feel that chill power through the touch. Anita nodded but did not offer her hand to shake. Though she had put away her gun at some point and he was supremely grateful for that fact.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Harry Potter."

A soft touch to his shoulder and Jason was peering at him in question. "Did you want to look around the Circus or do you want me to walk you to the car? I can take you around if you want."

He _was _curious about the Circus but he'd had enough excitement for one night.

"I'll take a rain check on that offer. I was curious but I'm rather tired now. I'd like to go straight home."

"No problem. We can exchange mobile numbers and when you've got a spare day I can show you 'round the city."

They left the room without looking back and it was a testament to how tired he was that he followed Jason through the corridors and up the stairs with little problems.

"I don't have a mobile yet. But if you give me your number I can call you in a day or so."

He'd have to buy one tomorrow and try to get someone to show him how to use it before then. Maybe he could firecall Hermione. She used one to keep in touch with her parents, he knew.

"You don't have a mobile? How can you not have a mobile?" Jason's voice was more curious than puzzled but Harry realized it was odd for him not to have one.

"Umm. I guess I just didn't have much of a need for it before today." What a silly thing to get caught on after all he'd evaded tonight.

"Well I guess there are people like that even these days. Hey. You want me to teach you how to use one?" They were approaching the giant metal door that would lead them to the ground floor of the Circus.

"I don't know.." That would mean having to meet him in the next few days. He had a feeling Jason was more sharp than he was banging on to be. After all, you couldn't survive around vampires with being really smart.

"Oh, come on. If I can teach Jean-Claude how to use a mobile I can teach you easy!" It was hard to argue with such a cheerful person. And he did need the help.

"Ok. Thanks, Jason." It was strange how suddenly shy he felt.

They were walking through the circus at this point and Jason stopped by a booth and spoke to the man working there who gave him a flyer and a pen from his pocket. Jason wrote something on the back of the flyer and said something that made the man laugh and returned his pen. Jason gave the flyer to him and he saw that a mobile number was on the back along with an address.

"What's the address?" He folded it and slipped it into his pocket.

"It's my workplace, just in case you can't get through to me on my phone. It's owned by Jean-Claude if you're wondering."

He wasn't really but it felt rude to say that when Jason was being so kind to him.

"Is that why you were here tonight? Because you work for him?" A strange look passed over Jason's face that he couldn't quite decipher.

"Something like that. Here we are. Jean-Claude already told the driver where to take you. Good night, Harry."

Something felt a little stilted about their goodbye. Like he had disappointed Jason in some way but he didn't know what was wrong.

"Jason!" When Jason turned back his face was friendly, but he hadn't been wrong. His sky blue eyes looked a little sad.

"Thank you. Is it ok if I ask you to be my friend." It felt awkward to be asking but the look on Jason's face made it worth it.

"I'd like that, Harry." Jason smiled.

"Good night, Jason."

"Good night, Harry." Jason waved and and walked back towards the entrance of the Circus.

"Mr Potter?" The chauffeur had opened the back door of the limousine and was waiting for him to enter.

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

It had felt like hours since he had left his house and he slid into the car gratefully; letting the driver shut the door behind him.

As the chauffeur started the car and began to drive from the Circus parking lot; Harry leant his head against the cool window pane and closed his eyes.

He had been attacked, saved, met the Master of the City and made a friend. All in all it went rather well. Perhaps he's going to like america more than he first thought.


End file.
